Road Congestion and Public Transit

We estimate the external congestion cost of motor vehicle travel, while accounting for the presence of hypercongestion, i.e. a phenomenon whereby congestion decreases throughput. We focus on Rome, Italy. We show that the external congestion cost is substantial. About one third of this cost is borne by travelers in buses that do not run on dedicated lanes. We also show that hypercongestion accounts for about 40 percent of congestion-related welfare losses. We demonstrate that the marginal congestion relief benefit of public transit supply is large for motor-vehicle travelers as well as bus travelers. Our results suggest that substantial welfare gains can be obtained by policies that eliminate hypercongestion, introduce road pricing, improve public transit and construct dedicated bus lanes.Mehr anzeigen